Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Liver for Liver

Well, I picked up Sugar from the vet yesterday. They didn't end up doing any fluids or IVs because she generally looked much better than on Saturday, much less icteric than she was which is exactly what I thought, as well. I could see pinkness to her skin, her belly in particular, and in her ears. So, they just watched her all day, let her drink as much as she wanted, took her out to pee (which she did often), and tried to get her to eat anything, which she did not.

On the way home, I stopped to get some calf liver for her and some smaller turkey necks. She didn't want the turkey neck but she did eat the liver and some raw beef tips. I was very encouraged. I gave her some water with some Greyhound Recharge in it. Greyhound Recharge is a product I have on hand for lure coursing. Specifically - "it rapidly replenishes electrolytes and fluids after travelling and racing. The product lives up to its name in providing a rapid restoration of fluid and vitality. The formulation is specifically matched to the needs of the hard working dog, containing: A. a high potassium to sodium ratio, important for nerve and muscle function. B. citrate salt as a buffering agent and C. Glucose to enhance rapid uptake of electrolytes. Recharge is the only sports drink designed specifically for greyhounds. Recharge has a palatable cheese flavour making it easy for dogs to drink. It comes in a handy, portable pack to administer at events. Combats fluid and electrolyte loss immediately."

She isn't dehydrated but I figure it couldn't hurt. She actually looked much better after her liver meal and after some of the recharge. I'll continue this regime for a few days, until she tires of it which I assure you, she will. She is very picky these days. In fact, she did not eat her liver this morning. I did put the bowl of food in her crate thinking she'll get to it sometime during the day. Baby steps, I say, baby steps!

The good doc doesn't believe this could be attributed to liver cancer because she does respond to the antibiotics and the Denamarin. He is almost ruling out liver failure as well because of the response we get from the medications. He does, however, want to do a test on Friday to rule out Cushings disease. I do not think this is the problem because she doesn't have 3 of the 4 major symptoms, that being - she hasn't had an increase in appetite (actually just the opposite), she doesn't have an abdominal enlargement, and she hasn't had hair loss and thin skin (remember she has grown an awesome coat of hair and well, Greyhounds all have thin skin).

Today I should have a bit more time to get some mackeral, sardines, and perhaps some salmon, as Zan suggested, on my way home from the bus stop. The challenge in all this is 1) getting Sugar to eat, obviously, and 2) keeping the goods away from Lucy and Remi. It's a battle every night but I'm not quite ready to give it up. Sugar is acting fine otherwise and is in good spirits which is all good. Now, to get her eating normally again and gaining a little weight back. She has lost a couple of pounds during this almost two month ordeal. Yes, the first lab results are dated September 6, 2008. Seems like ions ago, I know!

I've been checking the Doggie Cam since arriving at work and I cannot tell if she has eaten any or not. Right now she seems to be sitting in the bowl although I much prefer that she eat it instead! If any of you visit the cam and catch her in the act of eating, please email me! BTW, she's the one in the middle.

So, I'm not sure where we go from here. Oddly enough, her ALT and ALKP numbers are lower than from the initial test we did at the beginning of September and this was before the subcutaneous fluids he did on Saturday. Whoo hoo!

I'm not sure how much liver she is eating, but limit to about 10 or less % of her diet. Its extremely rich. You might give canned food a try. I was feeding Travis Blue Buffalo canned for for awhile. Its extremely high quality and has a good meaty smell.

About Me

Just loving life in Atlanta, Georgia. Am in the job market for a permanent Project Server 2007/10 Administrator position. Have four Greyhounds and am very active in a local Greyhound adoption group I helped launch called Second Chance Greyhounds.